June 24, 2024

How To Have A Happy Family Part 5 | Integrity

How To Have A Happy Family Part 5 | Integrity

Proverbs 11 Teaching our children to have Integrity   What it is? It is honesty v. 1 The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that one refuses to change (Cambridge Online Dictionary) Think of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife...

Proverbs 11

Teaching our children to have Integrity

 

What it is?

  1. It is honesty v. 1
    1. The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that one refuses to change (Cambridge Online Dictionary)
      1. Think of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife
      2. Think of Daniel and his three friends in Daniel 1
        1. And again in Daniel 3 when they wouldn’t bow to the false god
        2. And again in Daniel 6 when Daniel prayed even though it meant death
    2. This was an old command reiterated by Solomon
      1. Deuteronomy 25:12-14
      2. Proverbs 16:11 and 20:10
    3. It was a sin addressed by Hosea in 12:7
    4. We must teach our children to always be honest
    5. For us, this was a spanking matter
    6. Matthew Henry says “He is not an honest man that is not devout; he is not a godly man that is not honest.”
    7. Dishonest business dealings are offensive to God
    8. Nothing is more pleasing to God than fair and honest dealing
      1. It models who God is
      2. He will do right every single time . . .
  2. It is humility v. 2
    1. Notice that it is the opposite of pride
      1. Nebuchanezzar was severely judged by God for his pride
      2. Herod was as well.
    2. Notice that it is blessed by God
      1. Humility leads us to wisdom
  3. It is uprightness v. 3
    1. The word means correct; right; straight
    2. Psalm 25:21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
  4. It  is righteousness. v. 4-6

 

Why it matters?

 

  1. It guides us v. 3
  2. It makes a difference in death v. 4
    1. A good conscience makes the end of ones life easier
  3. It leads us to righteousness
  4. It counsels us
  5. It makes us gracious
  6. It makes us generous
  7. It brings life v. 30
  8. It bypasses judgment v. 32

 

How do you get it?

  1. You train it
    1. Proverbs 20:11
      1. A child either has it or doesn’t
    2. Verse 5
      1. When they get it and mature - it directs their way
      2. Perfect = complete or mature or whole
  2. You pursue it
    1. We often have opportunity to pursue integrity . . .
  3. You live it
    1. It shows up in how we treat people
    2. In how we run our business
Transcript
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Hello, and welcome to Keeping It Young podcast,

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conversations about marriage, family, and ministry life.

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I'm Dave.

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And I'm Bethlehem.

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And we are the Youngs.

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We're so glad you've joined us today as

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we continue in the book of Proverbs.

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Hope you're enjoying our study.

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Thank you for joining us again today, and

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I hope you're having a wonderful summer.

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We are right in the middle of our

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summer.

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The summers are always so full for us,

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and just on the road, going and going

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and going and covering so many miles and

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meeting so many people.

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Just appreciate your prayers.

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Even for our summer of ministry, things are

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just super busy.

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And hope in the midst of this summer

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that you are learning a lot from God's

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word, that you're doing well, that you're growing

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in the Lord and maturing as well.

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You know, you can always reach out to

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Bethlehem and me.

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We're always available to serve you, to answer

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your questions, and we're always honored when we

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hear from people.

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And so if we can do something for

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you or help you in some way.

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If you're enjoying our series, I hope you'll

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recommend it maybe to a connection class or

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a Sunday school class, or maybe to someone

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you know that is having difficulties or needing

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some wisdom or some directions or instruction.

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So like and share and subscribe.

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Maybe leave us a rating.

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We would certainly be thankful for all of

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that.

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God's been good to us, hasn't he?

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Absolutely.

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And we have enjoyed our podcasting and are

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so thankful for how God has blessed us

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here on the podcast.

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And we are enjoying Proverbs.

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We are.

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And learning so much from it.

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I had no idea how many things we

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could find in Proverbs.

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Well, it does go to show that the

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old practice of reading through the Proverbs with

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your family over and over and over again,

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there was wisdom in that because there is

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so much to be learned from the book

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of Proverbs.

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And I feel like we're just scratching the

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surface here with these highlights from these different

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chapters, but such good truth available even in

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those highlights.

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Yes, and I know several people have reached

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out to me and said, Hey, what commentaries

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are you using?

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And so forth.

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And my first go-to in the book

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of Proverbs is the old writer, Matthew Henry.

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And I just really love his practical simplicity

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and straightforwardness about how he looks at them.

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Then I go to a Bible app that

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has the definition of words, and I look

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up Hebrew words and examine those and just

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see the different, the shades of meaning, the

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nuances of meaning that you find in the

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Hebrew dictionary is just amazing.

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And having Bible apps today really help us

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to do that.

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So it's just a real blessing.

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So I don't know if there's a right

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or wrong out there.

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There's a ton of commentaries.

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We just have really enjoyed Matthew Henry's and

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use our Bible dictionary and things of that

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sort.

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So hope you're looking up some of these

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yourself and studying them.

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And I told you last week, if you

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were listening last week, that we were ready

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to jump into, we've got to emphasize our

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words, but I was wrong.

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That's actually next week.

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He skipped over chapter 11, and we are

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going to be emphasizing this week from Proverbs

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11, teaching our children integrity.

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We have to emphasize integrity if we're going

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to have a happy family and a happy

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life.

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So righteousness so far, diligence so far, and

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now we're here.

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God's blessings.

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God's blessings.

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And now here we are at integrity.

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Integrity is so important.

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Oh my goodness, it is.

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You want to be able to take someone

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at their word.

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You want to know that someone's going to

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be honest with you.

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You want to know someone's going to get

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the job done if you ask them to

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do it, if you're paying them to do

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it.

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Isn't it frustrating that there is a lack

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of integrity in our world today, in our

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culture?

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And you can't always just count on it.

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You can't just say, oh yeah, this will

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get done because sometimes it doesn't.

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And what a blessing it is to deal

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with people who have integrity.

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And you will know it.

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Oh yes.

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Absolutely.

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And it's so important in so many aspects

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of our life.

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Integrity is essential in your marriage.

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Integrity is essential in your children.

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It's essential for your future and work relationships.

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Integrity is just an essential element.

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So here's what Proverbs 11 says, A false

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balance is abomination to the Lord, but a

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just weight is his delight.

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When pride cometh, then cometh shame, but with

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the lowly is wisdom.

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The integrity of the upright shall guide them,

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but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.

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Riches profit not in the day of wrath,

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but righteousness delivereth from death.

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The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his

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way, but the wicked shall fall by his

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own wickedness.

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Now he's talking here about integrity, dependability, trustworthiness,

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honesty, and all of those factors that come

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together.

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And the Cambridge Online Dictionary, when you talk

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about integrity, one of the things they say

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is it's the quality of being honest and

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having strong moral principles that one refuses to

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change.

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I liked that definition best of all the

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ones I found.

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And so I want to read that again.

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It's the quality of being honest.

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It's the quality of having strong moral principles

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that one refuses to change.

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And I sat and I thought, okay, who

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in the Bible best illustrates that?

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I came up with two right away.

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Joseph illustrates that because he was a slave

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in Potiphar's house in Egypt.

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His brothers had sold him into slavery.

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And yet, even though he had been done

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wrong, even though he didn't like where he

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was, even though this is not how he

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expected things to turn out, he could have

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absolutely thrown everything he believed away, all righteousness,

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all integrity, and just lived it up as

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a slave boy in that land with Potiphar's

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wife.

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He was favored already, and yet he refused

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to back down on his moral principles.

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That young man had phenomenal integrity.

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And as far as we can tell, it

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was late teens, early 20s.

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Daniel was the same way.

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Daniel's entire life lays out for us a

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picture of integrity.

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And he refused, absolutely, absolutely refused to do

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wrong.

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And then he got his three friends to

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join him.

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We know him as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

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And then it shows up again in chapter

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three, because his three friends would not bow

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to the pagan idol that Nebuchadnezzar had made

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of himself and demanded they bow down to.

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And again in Daniel six, when Daniel, as

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an older man now, prayed, even though praying

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likely meant he would be thrown in the

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lion's den and die.

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That is all a picture of integrity.

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What is integrity?

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It is an absolute honesty and a moral

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uprightness that we refuse to change.

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And in Joseph and Daniel's examples, it's almost

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this fortitude to do right, no matter how

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small the issue seems to be.

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Especially we can see in Daniel's life, the

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first thing, the first matter of integrity that

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we come up against his character to say,

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you know what, our law has said we

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should not eat that food.

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And so would it be okay if we

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just eat this food over here, this produce,

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these fruits and vegetables and all of the

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things that mean pulse in the King James

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version of the Bible.

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What an amazing example of character and integrity

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there, because that seems like something that would

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not even matter.

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Here they are captives and they're being commanded

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to eat this food.

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You would think, well, probably most of those

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Hebrew captives said, well, I mean, what am

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I supposed to do?

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I am a prisoner.

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I have to eat whatever they give me

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and okay, it's just food.

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But Daniel and his friends said, no, we

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absolutely cannot.

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And don't you know that that just built

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more character and integrity into their being.

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So their foundation was just, okay, I'm going

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to do right no matter how small the

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issue may be.

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Integrity is taught.

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They obviously learned that somewhere and it is

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also caught.

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We see it when we observe and then

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integrity gets bigger.

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The more we live it, the stronger it

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gets.

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And so it becomes stronger.

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Proverbs begins here, this idea of a false

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balance being an abomination to the Lord, but

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a just weight being his delight.

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And now what we find out as we

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studied that is this is an old command.

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And it was an old command that actually

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was written by Moses, but reiterated in the

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book of Proverbs by Solomon.

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And you find it in Deuteronomy 25 and

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verses 13, 14 and 15.

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So listen to these verses.

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The Bible says, thou shalt not have in

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thy bag divers weights, a great and a

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small.

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Thou shalt not have in thine house divers

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measures, a great and a small, but thou

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shalt have a perfect and just weight.

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00:08:50,940 --> 00:08:53,260
A perfect and just measure shalt thou have,

250
00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:55,540
that thy days may be lengthened in the

251
00:08:55,540 --> 00:08:57,900
land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

252
00:08:58,160 --> 00:08:59,760
There's so much to be said about that.

253
00:08:59,900 --> 00:09:00,160
Yes.

254
00:09:00,260 --> 00:09:02,060
First of all, he draws the point there

255
00:09:02,060 --> 00:09:03,900
that we should be the same in private

256
00:09:03,900 --> 00:09:05,480
that we are in public and the same

257
00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:06,680
public that we are in private.

258
00:09:06,900 --> 00:09:08,380
So if I am one way at home,

259
00:09:08,420 --> 00:09:09,600
but I go out into the world and

260
00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:11,960
I'm a dishonest businessman and yet I come

261
00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:13,520
home and I want things to be well,

262
00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:14,420
it's not going to work that way.

263
00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:16,020
And the other side of that is true.

264
00:09:16,420 --> 00:09:18,900
You know, if you've got to be right

265
00:09:18,900 --> 00:09:20,460
at home and right in public, you've got

266
00:09:20,460 --> 00:09:21,940
to be right in public and right at

267
00:09:21,940 --> 00:09:22,180
home.

268
00:09:22,420 --> 00:09:24,040
And that's God's idea of integrity.

269
00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:26,020
Integrity is when I'm the same in public

270
00:09:26,020 --> 00:09:29,440
and in private, I'm the same righteous person

271
00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:32,140
in public and in private, and I'm dependable

272
00:09:32,140 --> 00:09:34,260
and I'm honest and you can trust me.

273
00:09:35,580 --> 00:09:37,140
Proverbs 16, 11.

274
00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:38,560
Let me look that one up here.

275
00:09:38,560 --> 00:09:40,820
Proverbs 16, 11 has the same idea.

276
00:09:41,580 --> 00:09:43,820
And Solomon said it like this, adjust weight

277
00:09:43,820 --> 00:09:45,540
and balance are the Lord's.

278
00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:48,380
All the weight of the bag are his

279
00:09:48,380 --> 00:09:49,020
works.

280
00:09:49,340 --> 00:09:51,240
He reiterates the same idea.

281
00:09:51,380 --> 00:09:54,100
Let's see here in Proverbs 20 and what

282
00:09:54,100 --> 00:09:54,720
verse is that?

283
00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:55,380
Verse 10.

284
00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:57,820
Proverbs 20 and verse 10 when he says

285
00:09:57,820 --> 00:10:02,500
divers weights, different weights and divers measures, different,

286
00:10:02,700 --> 00:10:03,800
you know, and varied measures.

287
00:10:03,980 --> 00:10:04,900
Both of them are alike.

288
00:10:05,020 --> 00:10:05,600
Listen to this.

289
00:10:05,860 --> 00:10:07,240
Abomination to the Lord.

290
00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,240
Integrity is so important to our God that

291
00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:13,520
when we don't have it, he absolutely hates

292
00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:15,980
it with the strongest word that you can

293
00:10:15,980 --> 00:10:19,140
find in the authorized version to describe the

294
00:10:19,140 --> 00:10:20,380
things God hates the most.

295
00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:20,880
Wow.

296
00:10:21,060 --> 00:10:22,020
That's a pretty big deal.

297
00:10:22,340 --> 00:10:22,840
It is.

298
00:10:23,100 --> 00:10:27,100
So emphasizing integrity is absolutely essential.

299
00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:27,540
Right.

300
00:10:27,680 --> 00:10:30,040
So that what the book of Proverbs is

301
00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:32,340
literally saying, if you say you're going to

302
00:10:32,340 --> 00:10:35,030
sell a pound of rice, it better fully

303
00:10:35,030 --> 00:10:36,130
be a pound of rice.

304
00:10:36,270 --> 00:10:38,450
It better not be three quarters of a

305
00:10:38,450 --> 00:10:42,070
pound of rice because integrity matters.

306
00:10:42,630 --> 00:10:45,950
And in Hosea, Hosea, the minor prophet Hosea,

307
00:10:46,390 --> 00:10:48,710
in one of his references, he talks about

308
00:10:48,710 --> 00:10:51,510
a merchant that is not honest, has no

309
00:10:51,510 --> 00:10:53,950
integrity, and he says, he is a merchant.

310
00:10:54,270 --> 00:10:57,650
The balances of deceit are in his hand.

311
00:10:57,730 --> 00:10:59,530
He loveth to oppress.

312
00:10:59,530 --> 00:11:02,310
And so you find it yet again, that

313
00:11:02,310 --> 00:11:05,750
the idea of integrity is absolutely important, which

314
00:11:05,750 --> 00:11:07,710
just reminds us, we, all of us, you

315
00:11:07,710 --> 00:11:09,630
that are listening, all of us, we have

316
00:11:09,630 --> 00:11:12,330
to teach our children to have integrity.

317
00:11:12,330 --> 00:11:14,650
And if integrity is honesty, we have to

318
00:11:14,650 --> 00:11:17,690
teach them to be honest, dependable, always trustworthy.

319
00:11:18,190 --> 00:11:19,750
And for us, that was a spanking matter

320
00:11:19,750 --> 00:11:20,570
when our kids were younger.

321
00:11:20,790 --> 00:11:21,010
Yes.

322
00:11:21,310 --> 00:11:25,370
Lying was not permitted or even put up

323
00:11:25,370 --> 00:11:28,310
with in our household.

324
00:11:28,310 --> 00:11:31,290
For any little thing, our children, we wanted

325
00:11:31,290 --> 00:11:34,770
them to learn to be honest about everything.

326
00:11:35,530 --> 00:11:36,790
Don't stretch the truth.

327
00:11:38,010 --> 00:11:40,110
Don't exaggerate your stories.

328
00:11:40,870 --> 00:11:43,850
And the great thing about having the five

329
00:11:43,850 --> 00:11:45,970
children is their siblings would call them out

330
00:11:45,970 --> 00:11:46,210
on it.

331
00:11:46,230 --> 00:11:47,690
That is not how that happened.

332
00:11:47,870 --> 00:11:49,010
No, that didn't happen.

333
00:11:49,070 --> 00:11:50,650
You did not do that.

334
00:11:50,770 --> 00:11:53,790
And so they keep themselves accountable, which was

335
00:11:53,790 --> 00:11:54,230
awesome.

336
00:11:54,230 --> 00:11:57,910
But as far as, hey, what happened here?

337
00:11:58,170 --> 00:11:59,410
Did you do this?

338
00:11:59,750 --> 00:12:01,150
How did this come to be?

339
00:12:01,430 --> 00:12:03,690
Did you do all of your schoolwork?

340
00:12:03,770 --> 00:12:05,330
Did you finish the job?

341
00:12:05,570 --> 00:12:07,650
They had to be honest about that.

342
00:12:07,770 --> 00:12:10,310
And we wanted our children to learn integrity.

343
00:12:10,610 --> 00:12:10,870
Yes.

344
00:12:11,390 --> 00:12:13,590
And Matthew Henry said, he is not an

345
00:12:13,590 --> 00:12:15,770
honest man that is not devout.

346
00:12:16,030 --> 00:12:18,390
He is not a godly man that is

347
00:12:18,390 --> 00:12:18,910
not honest.

348
00:12:18,910 --> 00:12:21,070
And so this is a matter of our

349
00:12:21,070 --> 00:12:22,610
faith, of our spirituality.

350
00:12:23,470 --> 00:12:27,830
Dishonest business dealings are always offensive to God.

351
00:12:27,970 --> 00:12:30,190
If you're listening and you're a businessman or

352
00:12:30,190 --> 00:12:32,890
a businesswoman, make sure that as a Christian

353
00:12:32,890 --> 00:12:35,790
that everything you do is done with the

354
00:12:35,790 --> 00:12:37,450
utmost integrity.

355
00:12:38,330 --> 00:12:40,170
And even a person who is not a

356
00:12:40,170 --> 00:12:42,950
believer but who has integrity is a person

357
00:12:42,950 --> 00:12:44,810
that can be respected and trusted.

358
00:12:45,290 --> 00:12:46,590
Integrity brings trust.

359
00:12:46,590 --> 00:12:48,570
We can trust a person who has integrity.

360
00:12:49,290 --> 00:12:52,250
And when you build a business on integrity

361
00:12:52,250 --> 00:12:54,730
and it's based on this is the right

362
00:12:54,730 --> 00:12:56,610
thing, you make a mistake, but I'm going

363
00:12:56,610 --> 00:12:57,890
to take care of it because I have

364
00:12:57,890 --> 00:12:58,270
integrity.

365
00:12:58,370 --> 00:12:59,290
This is the right thing.

366
00:12:59,530 --> 00:13:01,670
If it costs me extra money to do

367
00:13:01,670 --> 00:13:04,250
the right thing because one of my employees

368
00:13:04,250 --> 00:13:06,750
made a mistake or because we just failed,

369
00:13:07,330 --> 00:13:09,550
I will go overboard to do the right

370
00:13:09,550 --> 00:13:09,930
thing.

371
00:13:10,030 --> 00:13:11,590
That is a matter of character and integrity.

372
00:13:11,970 --> 00:13:13,470
And it's something we have to live and

373
00:13:13,470 --> 00:13:15,190
something we have to teach our children if

374
00:13:15,190 --> 00:13:16,770
we're going to have a happy life and

375
00:13:16,770 --> 00:13:17,630
a happy family.

376
00:13:17,630 --> 00:13:17,890
Right?

377
00:13:18,030 --> 00:13:18,230
Yes.

378
00:13:18,310 --> 00:13:20,650
I would say even as a consumer, you

379
00:13:20,650 --> 00:13:22,930
need to have integrity and honesty and all

380
00:13:22,930 --> 00:13:24,790
of these self checkouts that they have these

381
00:13:24,790 --> 00:13:25,030
days.

382
00:13:25,030 --> 00:13:26,450
Of course you are on camera.

383
00:13:26,610 --> 00:13:29,210
They are watching you as you are scanning

384
00:13:29,210 --> 00:13:30,030
your things.

385
00:13:30,530 --> 00:13:32,850
And there have been times though that I

386
00:13:32,850 --> 00:13:34,230
have missed something in my cart.

387
00:13:34,370 --> 00:13:35,970
And so I get out to the car

388
00:13:35,970 --> 00:13:37,970
and I'm unloading all the bags of groceries

389
00:13:37,970 --> 00:13:39,910
and I'll find something little sitting in the

390
00:13:39,910 --> 00:13:41,730
bottom of the cart that did not get

391
00:13:41,730 --> 00:13:42,230
scanned.

392
00:13:42,230 --> 00:13:44,310
And it could be so easy to be

393
00:13:44,310 --> 00:13:45,650
like, oh, I'm in a hurry.

394
00:13:45,870 --> 00:13:47,510
This is just a couple of bucks.

395
00:13:48,030 --> 00:13:50,310
Walmart will never even miss it.

396
00:13:51,210 --> 00:13:53,450
All of the billions of dollars they make

397
00:13:53,450 --> 00:13:55,150
every year from all of the groceries.

398
00:13:56,450 --> 00:13:58,810
But I just, I cannot do that.

399
00:13:58,890 --> 00:14:00,470
I try to be a woman of integrity.

400
00:14:00,470 --> 00:14:02,830
And so I have marched right back in

401
00:14:02,830 --> 00:14:05,130
and I have said to the welcome person,

402
00:14:05,230 --> 00:14:06,090
I am so sorry.

403
00:14:06,170 --> 00:14:07,570
I missed this when I was scanning.

404
00:14:07,730 --> 00:14:09,950
I need to go back through and scan

405
00:14:09,950 --> 00:14:10,950
this and pay for this.

406
00:14:10,950 --> 00:14:13,170
And I even had one of the managers

407
00:14:13,170 --> 00:14:15,730
look at me in just disbelief and she

408
00:14:15,730 --> 00:14:19,270
said, no one ever does that.

409
00:14:19,370 --> 00:14:21,410
I cannot believe you came back in just

410
00:14:21,410 --> 00:14:22,230
to purchase that.

411
00:14:22,390 --> 00:14:23,710
And I said, well, I can't do it.

412
00:14:23,810 --> 00:14:25,930
I can't just leave with this and not

413
00:14:25,930 --> 00:14:26,450
have integrity.

414
00:14:26,610 --> 00:14:28,410
So even as a consumer, you need to

415
00:14:28,410 --> 00:14:30,430
have integrity and honesty and teach that to

416
00:14:30,430 --> 00:14:30,890
your children.

417
00:14:31,050 --> 00:14:32,210
What a valuable lesson.

418
00:14:32,830 --> 00:14:33,070
Absolutely.

419
00:14:33,310 --> 00:14:34,990
And it makes a world of difference.

420
00:14:35,090 --> 00:14:36,730
And those kinds of lessons, when our children

421
00:14:36,730 --> 00:14:39,430
are aware that, that Bethle is willing to

422
00:14:39,430 --> 00:14:41,050
go back into a store to pay for

423
00:14:41,050 --> 00:14:42,950
something that costs, you know, 50 cents or

424
00:14:42,950 --> 00:14:45,830
$3, it says to our children, this is

425
00:14:45,830 --> 00:14:46,310
a big deal.

426
00:14:46,510 --> 00:14:47,230
We mean this.

427
00:14:47,610 --> 00:14:48,790
And it is the truth.

428
00:14:48,870 --> 00:14:50,710
The Bible is teaching us very clearly here

429
00:14:50,710 --> 00:14:53,730
that it is an essential part of Christianity.

430
00:14:55,010 --> 00:14:56,690
Integrity and it's called integrity.

431
00:14:56,810 --> 00:14:59,250
Integrity may be as something as little as

432
00:14:59,250 --> 00:15:01,450
I, I take the shopping cart since we're

433
00:15:01,450 --> 00:15:03,330
talking about Walmart and I put it where

434
00:15:03,330 --> 00:15:05,030
it's supposed to be so that it's not

435
00:15:05,030 --> 00:15:07,610
going to, you know, go flying across the

436
00:15:07,610 --> 00:15:08,570
parking lot and hit a car.

437
00:15:08,570 --> 00:15:09,170
Right.

438
00:15:09,370 --> 00:15:11,230
Or take up a parking space that someone

439
00:15:11,230 --> 00:15:13,810
with a white SUV in Pensacola, Florida may

440
00:15:13,810 --> 00:15:15,850
want to park in that parking place because

441
00:15:15,850 --> 00:15:17,590
you didn't put the cart back or I

442
00:15:17,590 --> 00:15:18,510
should say Pace, Florida.

443
00:15:18,770 --> 00:15:20,150
I don't go all the way to Pensacola

444
00:15:20,150 --> 00:15:20,490
just to Walmart.

445
00:15:20,490 --> 00:15:21,070
Are we testifying?

446
00:15:23,250 --> 00:15:24,370
Put the carts back people.

447
00:15:24,570 --> 00:15:26,370
This is getting deeply personal right here.

448
00:15:27,110 --> 00:15:28,050
Oh my soul.

449
00:15:28,430 --> 00:15:30,730
Nothing is more pleasing to God than fair

450
00:15:30,730 --> 00:15:33,130
and honest dealings is what we're learning in

451
00:15:33,130 --> 00:15:33,470
Proverbs.

452
00:15:33,650 --> 00:15:36,010
It actually models who God is.

453
00:15:36,010 --> 00:15:38,710
When we are fair, when we are honest,

454
00:15:38,930 --> 00:15:42,010
when we have integrity, we are modeling God.

455
00:15:42,250 --> 00:15:44,090
This is who he is and let that

456
00:15:44,090 --> 00:15:44,930
be a comfort to you.

457
00:15:45,030 --> 00:15:46,330
Maybe just as a little bit of a

458
00:15:46,330 --> 00:15:48,330
side here, a lot of times I get

459
00:15:48,330 --> 00:15:51,250
questions from folks, you know, dealing with issues

460
00:15:51,250 --> 00:15:53,630
of life, you know, you know, what about

461
00:15:53,630 --> 00:15:54,210
my mom?

462
00:15:54,330 --> 00:15:56,510
My mom passed away, you know, I wasn't

463
00:15:56,510 --> 00:15:58,750
sure about, you know, this or her salvation

464
00:15:58,750 --> 00:16:01,290
and those are questions that can plague a

465
00:16:01,290 --> 00:16:03,510
heart, but can I encourage you?

466
00:16:03,810 --> 00:16:06,170
The answer to those questions is that our

467
00:16:06,170 --> 00:16:08,710
God is a God of integrity and the

468
00:16:08,710 --> 00:16:10,590
Bible says things like, you know, will not

469
00:16:10,590 --> 00:16:12,390
the judge of all the earth do right?

470
00:16:13,010 --> 00:16:15,870
When God makes decisions, when God acts in

471
00:16:15,870 --> 00:16:19,350
relation to mankind, dear friends, you can rest

472
00:16:19,350 --> 00:16:21,710
assured of the fact that our God is

473
00:16:21,710 --> 00:16:22,870
a God of integrity.

474
00:16:23,470 --> 00:16:28,030
He will do right every single time and

475
00:16:28,030 --> 00:16:30,350
he does right in such a way that

476
00:16:30,350 --> 00:16:32,530
it's obvious to everybody this is the right

477
00:16:32,530 --> 00:16:34,310
thing to do and when you do the

478
00:16:34,310 --> 00:16:36,330
right thing, it's also the best thing to

479
00:16:36,330 --> 00:16:36,550
do.

480
00:16:37,070 --> 00:16:39,050
Integrity is not just the right thing, it's

481
00:16:39,050 --> 00:16:40,290
the best thing to do.

482
00:16:40,650 --> 00:16:44,110
It makes life palatable, it makes life successful,

483
00:16:44,770 --> 00:16:47,930
it helps our relationship, it improves our business,

484
00:16:48,450 --> 00:16:50,330
it brings, if we can go back to

485
00:16:50,330 --> 00:16:52,630
our recent podcast episode of the Keeping It

486
00:16:52,630 --> 00:16:55,110
Young, it actually brings God's blessings into our

487
00:16:55,110 --> 00:16:56,090
life, right?

488
00:16:56,410 --> 00:16:58,890
So it is honesty, it is honesty, it

489
00:16:58,890 --> 00:17:02,290
is also humility because integrity is the opposite

490
00:17:02,290 --> 00:17:03,010
of pride.

491
00:17:03,329 --> 00:17:06,349
I remember Nebuchadnezzar in the Bible because Nebuchadnezzar,

492
00:17:06,490 --> 00:17:09,410
he was quite a king, but he was

493
00:17:09,410 --> 00:17:11,930
judged severely by God for his pride.

494
00:17:12,089 --> 00:17:12,890
Herod was.

495
00:17:13,170 --> 00:17:15,329
Those were men who, when they did not,

496
00:17:15,530 --> 00:17:17,250
God had entrusted them to the throne.

497
00:17:17,450 --> 00:17:20,109
All power is from God, authority.

498
00:17:20,550 --> 00:17:22,810
And when they would not honor God and

499
00:17:22,810 --> 00:17:25,630
they lacked integrity, then they were judged severely

500
00:17:25,630 --> 00:17:26,530
by Almighty God.

501
00:17:26,950 --> 00:17:29,450
And you that are leaders, you that are

502
00:17:29,450 --> 00:17:31,250
political leaders need to hear that.

503
00:17:31,730 --> 00:17:33,510
God is real and God is judging.

504
00:17:33,690 --> 00:17:35,350
God will judge lack of integrity.

505
00:17:36,010 --> 00:17:37,090
It is uprightness.

506
00:17:37,170 --> 00:17:39,810
The word means correct and right and straight.

507
00:17:41,670 --> 00:17:43,150
Integrity means I'm gonna do the correct thing,

508
00:17:43,210 --> 00:17:44,590
I'm gonna do the right thing, the straight

509
00:17:44,590 --> 00:17:45,030
thing.

510
00:17:45,910 --> 00:17:49,410
Psalm 25 verse 21 says, let integrity and

511
00:17:49,410 --> 00:17:53,650
uprightness preserve me for I wait on thee.

512
00:17:53,650 --> 00:17:56,070
This is an important, important topic.

513
00:17:56,230 --> 00:17:56,530
It is.

514
00:17:56,590 --> 00:17:58,650
And we were talking about humility with integrity.

515
00:17:58,890 --> 00:18:01,150
It takes humility to own up to things,

516
00:18:01,150 --> 00:18:02,790
to say, you know what, I was wrong

517
00:18:02,790 --> 00:18:03,030
there.

518
00:18:03,150 --> 00:18:05,490
Or you know what, I shouldn't have said

519
00:18:05,490 --> 00:18:06,510
that the way I said that.

520
00:18:06,570 --> 00:18:09,210
That takes integrity and that takes humility on

521
00:18:09,210 --> 00:18:09,890
our part.

522
00:18:10,610 --> 00:18:12,590
So it's a very important thing.

523
00:18:12,770 --> 00:18:17,090
I was thinking about integrity in the illustration

524
00:18:17,090 --> 00:18:19,190
of a strong-willed child.

525
00:18:19,190 --> 00:18:21,250
We have people talk to us all the

526
00:18:21,250 --> 00:18:23,390
time about, oh my goodness, my child is

527
00:18:23,390 --> 00:18:26,010
so strong-willed and they just, it takes

528
00:18:26,010 --> 00:18:27,690
a lot to get them to obey.

529
00:18:28,030 --> 00:18:30,410
It takes a lot to train them in

530
00:18:30,410 --> 00:18:31,530
the way they should go.

531
00:18:31,630 --> 00:18:35,010
But if I can encourage you, when you

532
00:18:35,010 --> 00:18:36,710
have a child who is strong-willed, and

533
00:18:36,710 --> 00:18:38,590
can I also just say all of our

534
00:18:38,590 --> 00:18:41,130
children are strong-willed in some area.

535
00:18:41,670 --> 00:18:43,830
You might have a child that seems like

536
00:18:43,830 --> 00:18:45,670
they're not strong-willed at all and they

537
00:18:45,670 --> 00:18:48,450
just obey and everything, but there will come

538
00:18:48,450 --> 00:18:50,930
something that your child will dig their heels

539
00:18:50,930 --> 00:18:51,390
in about.

540
00:18:51,550 --> 00:18:52,950
So all of our children can be strong

541
00:18:52,950 --> 00:18:53,790
-willed about something.

542
00:18:54,310 --> 00:18:57,130
But as you teach your children, all of

543
00:18:57,130 --> 00:18:58,730
these different things that we teach on the

544
00:18:58,730 --> 00:19:00,290
podcast and all of the truths of the

545
00:19:00,290 --> 00:19:03,070
word of God, integrity is such an important

546
00:19:03,070 --> 00:19:05,190
thing because it teaches them to do the

547
00:19:05,190 --> 00:19:09,990
right thing every time, to own up to

548
00:19:09,990 --> 00:19:12,430
the honest thing every time.

549
00:19:12,430 --> 00:19:15,750
One of the things that a mentor of

550
00:19:15,750 --> 00:19:18,170
ours taught us is if you get a

551
00:19:18,170 --> 00:19:20,710
strong-willed child going in the right direction,

552
00:19:21,470 --> 00:19:23,870
that strong will will be to do the

553
00:19:23,870 --> 00:19:24,370
right thing.

554
00:19:24,810 --> 00:19:26,370
It will be to have integrity.

555
00:19:26,630 --> 00:19:28,750
I'm going to do the right thing every

556
00:19:28,750 --> 00:19:29,850
time.

557
00:19:30,510 --> 00:19:32,310
That is such a blessing to see as

558
00:19:32,310 --> 00:19:35,690
we have adult children, as our children grow

559
00:19:35,690 --> 00:19:38,190
up, to see them step into that role

560
00:19:38,190 --> 00:19:40,730
of integrity and especially the ones who are

561
00:19:40,730 --> 00:19:44,570
outwardly more strong-willed, they can be very,

562
00:19:44,770 --> 00:19:47,990
can I say verbal about absolutely not, we

563
00:19:47,990 --> 00:19:49,810
will not do that in this household.

564
00:19:49,990 --> 00:19:51,610
This is the right thing to do and

565
00:19:51,610 --> 00:19:54,030
it just kind of makes us laugh and

566
00:19:54,030 --> 00:19:54,730
amuses us.

567
00:19:54,830 --> 00:19:56,630
But also what a joy to our hearts

568
00:19:56,630 --> 00:19:58,090
that we are going to do the right

569
00:19:58,090 --> 00:20:00,330
thing to teach your children integrity.

570
00:20:00,690 --> 00:20:01,050
Absolutely.

571
00:20:01,430 --> 00:20:02,730
That's so true.

572
00:20:03,150 --> 00:20:04,610
Two more questions we have to answer before

573
00:20:04,610 --> 00:20:05,170
we're done today.

574
00:20:05,610 --> 00:20:06,690
Why does integrity matter?

575
00:20:06,830 --> 00:20:08,470
I guess we've already touched all over it.

576
00:20:08,930 --> 00:20:09,910
Why does integrity matter?

577
00:20:09,910 --> 00:20:11,230
The text I read to you in Proverbs

578
00:20:11,230 --> 00:20:13,850
11 reminds us that integrity guides us.

579
00:20:14,410 --> 00:20:17,710
So when we are guided by integrity, then

580
00:20:17,710 --> 00:20:19,390
things will be well in our life.

581
00:20:19,670 --> 00:20:20,730
It guides us.

582
00:20:21,370 --> 00:20:22,770
The Bible even tells us there that it

583
00:20:22,770 --> 00:20:24,010
makes a difference in death.

584
00:20:24,730 --> 00:20:26,130
And that's interesting.

585
00:20:26,230 --> 00:20:27,550
I think it was Matthew Henry again who

586
00:20:27,550 --> 00:20:29,810
said a good conscience makes the end of

587
00:20:29,810 --> 00:20:31,350
one's life easier.

588
00:20:32,090 --> 00:20:34,210
When I don't have things I have to

589
00:20:34,210 --> 00:20:36,590
make right because I cheated and manipulated and

590
00:20:36,590 --> 00:20:38,450
twisted and scorned.

591
00:20:38,450 --> 00:20:41,230
Just remember that it matters because you reap

592
00:20:41,230 --> 00:20:41,770
what you sow.

593
00:20:42,310 --> 00:20:44,650
If you're going to go through life being

594
00:20:44,650 --> 00:20:47,410
dishonest and lying and failing in areas of

595
00:20:47,410 --> 00:20:51,590
integrity, then people will treat you in ways

596
00:20:51,590 --> 00:20:52,390
without integrity.

597
00:20:52,550 --> 00:20:53,190
You will reap it.

598
00:20:53,330 --> 00:20:55,330
You will have to face the fact that

599
00:20:55,330 --> 00:20:56,110
others...

600
00:20:56,110 --> 00:20:57,830
If you're willing to do people wrong in

601
00:20:57,830 --> 00:21:00,590
business dealings, people will do you wrong in

602
00:21:00,590 --> 00:21:01,150
business dealing.

603
00:21:01,330 --> 00:21:03,290
If you're willing to be shoddy in the

604
00:21:03,290 --> 00:21:05,510
work that your business does, people will be

605
00:21:05,510 --> 00:21:07,290
shoddy in the work that they do for

606
00:21:07,290 --> 00:21:07,530
you.

607
00:21:07,530 --> 00:21:08,970
We reap what we sow.

608
00:21:09,150 --> 00:21:10,530
So integrity matters.

609
00:21:10,770 --> 00:21:12,350
It leads us to righteousness.

610
00:21:12,630 --> 00:21:13,610
It counsels us.

611
00:21:14,030 --> 00:21:15,190
It makes us gracious.

612
00:21:15,470 --> 00:21:16,330
It makes us generous.

613
00:21:16,630 --> 00:21:17,690
It brings life.

614
00:21:17,930 --> 00:21:20,050
It bypasses the judgment of God.

615
00:21:20,290 --> 00:21:21,570
And so integrity is important.

616
00:21:21,930 --> 00:21:23,730
I would say that it matters because it's

617
00:21:23,730 --> 00:21:26,610
frustrating to deal with people who don't have

618
00:21:26,610 --> 00:21:27,090
integrity.

619
00:21:27,730 --> 00:21:30,150
So please people, raise your little ones to

620
00:21:30,150 --> 00:21:30,890
have integrity.

621
00:21:32,390 --> 00:21:34,230
Nobody wants that kind of frustration.

622
00:21:34,470 --> 00:21:35,290
So how do you get it?

623
00:21:35,950 --> 00:21:37,150
How do you get integrity?

624
00:21:37,150 --> 00:21:39,250
There's three answers we'll give you here as

625
00:21:39,250 --> 00:21:40,170
we wind up today.

626
00:21:40,270 --> 00:21:41,950
And the first one is you train it.

627
00:21:42,190 --> 00:21:44,210
You just have to know that.

628
00:21:45,230 --> 00:21:47,110
Proverbs 20 and verse 11.

629
00:21:47,230 --> 00:21:49,710
Let me locate this here and read this

630
00:21:49,710 --> 00:21:51,190
one to you so I get it correct.

631
00:21:51,810 --> 00:21:53,890
Even a child is known by his doings,

632
00:21:54,110 --> 00:21:56,850
whether his work be pure and whether it

633
00:21:56,850 --> 00:21:57,210
be right.

634
00:21:57,390 --> 00:21:58,750
So you can look at a child and

635
00:21:58,750 --> 00:21:58,990
know.

636
00:21:59,450 --> 00:22:01,430
A child either has integrity or they don't.

637
00:22:01,750 --> 00:22:03,910
And if they don't have integrity, it is

638
00:22:03,910 --> 00:22:06,310
the job of the parents to take the

639
00:22:06,310 --> 00:22:09,050
necessary steps in a process of time to

640
00:22:09,050 --> 00:22:10,710
teach the child to live a life of

641
00:22:10,710 --> 00:22:11,110
integrity.

642
00:22:11,230 --> 00:22:11,530
Yes.

643
00:22:11,590 --> 00:22:16,390
Your child will not automatically have character, honesty,

644
00:22:16,990 --> 00:22:19,990
humility, always do the right thing.

645
00:22:20,110 --> 00:22:21,390
They will not do that.

646
00:22:21,530 --> 00:22:23,550
We have gone over and over and over

647
00:22:23,550 --> 00:22:24,690
and over that.

648
00:22:24,690 --> 00:22:26,290
It is in the heart of the child

649
00:22:26,290 --> 00:22:32,190
to sin, to be deceptive, to be manipulative,

650
00:22:32,190 --> 00:22:35,790
to be disobedient, to not follow authority, to

651
00:22:35,790 --> 00:22:37,890
not do the right thing, to not share,

652
00:22:38,210 --> 00:22:41,650
to not be nice to people around them.

653
00:22:42,010 --> 00:22:45,610
And so for your child to end up

654
00:22:45,610 --> 00:22:49,410
to be an adult with integrity, it has

655
00:22:49,410 --> 00:22:51,430
to be trained while they are in the

656
00:22:51,430 --> 00:22:51,690
house.

657
00:22:52,210 --> 00:22:56,090
This can be an ongoing process, even through

658
00:22:56,090 --> 00:22:58,490
their teen years, just to remind them of

659
00:22:58,490 --> 00:23:01,830
their work ethic, to remind them, yes, when

660
00:23:01,830 --> 00:23:03,170
you get out of bed, you need to

661
00:23:03,170 --> 00:23:04,590
make your bed, even though you have to

662
00:23:04,590 --> 00:23:05,890
be at work at six o'clock in

663
00:23:05,890 --> 00:23:07,650
the morning, because that's just integrity.

664
00:23:07,870 --> 00:23:08,870
It's doing the right thing.

665
00:23:09,050 --> 00:23:10,390
Yes, you have to be honest.

666
00:23:10,490 --> 00:23:12,650
You have to tell the truth every time

667
00:23:12,650 --> 00:23:14,810
and just working and working and working on

668
00:23:14,810 --> 00:23:16,550
them until they leave your home.

669
00:23:16,670 --> 00:23:18,450
And then they are a person of integrity

670
00:23:18,450 --> 00:23:19,130
on their own.

671
00:23:19,310 --> 00:23:19,490
Yes.

672
00:23:19,490 --> 00:23:22,130
And either remember that your child either has

673
00:23:22,130 --> 00:23:22,750
it or doesn't.

674
00:23:23,130 --> 00:23:24,150
And so examine your child.

675
00:23:24,250 --> 00:23:25,030
Do they have integrity?

676
00:23:25,250 --> 00:23:26,370
Are they dependable?

677
00:23:26,790 --> 00:23:28,290
Can someone trust them?

678
00:23:28,450 --> 00:23:29,230
Can you trust them?

679
00:23:29,550 --> 00:23:31,050
Or could you say, are you at least

680
00:23:31,050 --> 00:23:33,030
in the process of training them in that

681
00:23:33,030 --> 00:23:33,470
direction?

682
00:23:33,690 --> 00:23:35,730
And what happens is when they get it

683
00:23:35,730 --> 00:23:38,570
and mature, integrity then directs their way.

684
00:23:38,750 --> 00:23:41,050
Because in the Proverbs 11 passage, as he's

685
00:23:41,050 --> 00:23:44,150
talking about this issue of integrity, he says

686
00:23:44,150 --> 00:23:47,050
the integrity of the upright shall guide them.

687
00:23:47,050 --> 00:23:49,210
He says then in the fifth verse, the

688
00:23:49,210 --> 00:23:52,110
righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way.

689
00:23:52,190 --> 00:23:53,610
In the word perfect there is the mature.

690
00:23:54,150 --> 00:23:56,890
The righteousness of the mature, the perfect shall

691
00:23:56,890 --> 00:23:59,870
direct his way, but the wicked shall fall

692
00:23:59,870 --> 00:24:01,110
by his own wickedness.

693
00:24:01,470 --> 00:24:03,750
So either we teach our children to have

694
00:24:03,750 --> 00:24:06,290
integrity, to do the right thing, to live

695
00:24:06,290 --> 00:24:09,830
the right way, to honor God by making

696
00:24:09,830 --> 00:24:13,210
right choices, that either guides their life or

697
00:24:13,210 --> 00:24:14,490
wickedness guides their life.

698
00:24:14,770 --> 00:24:16,190
So how do you get integrity?

699
00:24:16,490 --> 00:24:17,750
Well, you got to train it.

700
00:24:18,430 --> 00:24:21,350
And moms and dads, it never ends.

701
00:24:21,490 --> 00:24:23,350
You train all the days of their life.

702
00:24:23,450 --> 00:24:25,610
And at any given instance in your child's

703
00:24:25,610 --> 00:24:27,410
life, maybe your son is 16 and all

704
00:24:27,410 --> 00:24:28,750
of a sudden you see an area where

705
00:24:28,750 --> 00:24:31,530
he's lacking integrity, then you've got to really

706
00:24:31,530 --> 00:24:32,310
start teaching.

707
00:24:32,570 --> 00:24:34,350
You've got to go for a walk.

708
00:24:34,390 --> 00:24:35,470
You've got to sit down and do a

709
00:24:35,470 --> 00:24:36,050
Bible study.

710
00:24:36,190 --> 00:24:37,770
You've got to address the situation.

711
00:24:38,230 --> 00:24:41,070
You've got to place ramifications that have negative

712
00:24:41,070 --> 00:24:43,790
consequences so that your children get the idea.

713
00:24:43,790 --> 00:24:45,330
This is important.

714
00:24:45,550 --> 00:24:46,210
This is big.

715
00:24:46,970 --> 00:24:48,790
And your children should always be looking back

716
00:24:48,790 --> 00:24:50,610
at your life and when they sit to

717
00:24:50,610 --> 00:24:53,410
talk about their upbringing, they should have ample

718
00:24:53,410 --> 00:24:56,590
opportunities to say, oh, remember dad pushed us

719
00:24:56,590 --> 00:24:58,370
about this and mom pushed us about that.

720
00:24:58,470 --> 00:24:59,090
Remember that?

721
00:24:59,510 --> 00:25:01,850
And what you're doing there is you're seeing

722
00:25:01,850 --> 00:25:04,850
the fruit of integrity being trained in the

723
00:25:04,850 --> 00:25:05,490
hearts of your children.

724
00:25:05,710 --> 00:25:06,850
Well, and they should be able to see

725
00:25:06,850 --> 00:25:07,310
it in you.

726
00:25:07,370 --> 00:25:10,510
David and I were just talking through some

727
00:25:10,510 --> 00:25:12,970
things that, some decisions that maybe we will

728
00:25:12,970 --> 00:25:14,310
make in our life soon.

729
00:25:14,550 --> 00:25:17,070
And we were talking about how that we're

730
00:25:17,070 --> 00:25:20,230
not sure what to do about the situation.

731
00:25:20,230 --> 00:25:22,270
And we were just like, well, you know,

732
00:25:22,590 --> 00:25:24,370
we, we need to do the right thing.

733
00:25:24,530 --> 00:25:27,190
And I said, you know, I think if

734
00:25:27,190 --> 00:25:29,090
we do the right thing, if we stand,

735
00:25:29,170 --> 00:25:31,470
and of course that would be integrity, doing

736
00:25:31,470 --> 00:25:33,970
the right thing, doing the honest thing, then

737
00:25:33,970 --> 00:25:35,350
God will direct us.

738
00:25:35,390 --> 00:25:36,670
And the Bible does promise that.

739
00:25:36,750 --> 00:25:39,610
So what, what a comfort that is just,

740
00:25:39,730 --> 00:25:41,390
you may not know what to do, but

741
00:25:41,390 --> 00:25:42,870
you do know what the right thing is

742
00:25:42,870 --> 00:25:44,690
to do well, then just do the right

743
00:25:44,690 --> 00:25:46,630
thing and God will direct you from there.

744
00:25:46,930 --> 00:25:47,210
Absolutely.

745
00:25:47,650 --> 00:25:48,710
And so you train it.

746
00:25:48,870 --> 00:25:50,030
That's how you get integrity.

747
00:25:50,150 --> 00:25:50,650
Two more things.

748
00:25:50,730 --> 00:25:51,430
You pursue it.

749
00:25:51,750 --> 00:25:53,350
That's a lesson for all of us.

750
00:25:53,510 --> 00:25:58,590
We have opportunities galore to pursue integrity, financial

751
00:25:58,590 --> 00:26:03,830
situations and business situations and walking out of

752
00:26:03,830 --> 00:26:05,870
Walmart with something we forgot to pay for

753
00:26:05,870 --> 00:26:08,470
situations, shopping carts.

754
00:26:09,110 --> 00:26:11,230
I was actually in a grocery store somewhere

755
00:26:11,230 --> 00:26:13,250
not long ago, and I watched this couple,

756
00:26:13,530 --> 00:26:16,930
they were walking around in the produce aisle

757
00:26:16,930 --> 00:26:19,370
and every time they walked past the bags

758
00:26:19,370 --> 00:26:20,850
of grapes, they would pick off four or

759
00:26:20,850 --> 00:26:22,190
five of them, carry them around, eating them.

760
00:26:23,270 --> 00:26:25,690
And, and, and here they are, and they

761
00:26:25,690 --> 00:26:28,410
were doing it very openly, very publicly.

762
00:26:28,910 --> 00:26:31,450
And it dawned on me, here's, here's a

763
00:26:31,450 --> 00:26:33,990
couple that has not been trained, they're older,

764
00:26:34,090 --> 00:26:36,470
they were older, but they lack integrity.

765
00:26:36,570 --> 00:26:38,350
That is, that has not been paid for.

766
00:26:38,350 --> 00:26:40,970
They're taking something that is not rightly theirs

767
00:26:40,970 --> 00:26:43,030
because they are lacking in integrity.

768
00:26:43,350 --> 00:26:47,230
We have ample opportunities to pursue integrity.

769
00:26:47,630 --> 00:26:49,250
And then the last one, of course, is

770
00:26:49,250 --> 00:26:49,850
to live it.

771
00:26:50,010 --> 00:26:51,590
It shows up in how we treat people,

772
00:26:52,050 --> 00:26:53,650
shows up in how we run our business.

773
00:26:54,470 --> 00:26:56,930
Integrity is absolutely vital.

774
00:26:57,050 --> 00:26:57,670
Any final thoughts?

775
00:26:57,890 --> 00:26:59,650
I would say even the people in your

776
00:26:59,650 --> 00:27:02,730
home have integrity with your children and you

777
00:27:02,730 --> 00:27:06,170
say, well, we are, our, our business dealings

778
00:27:06,170 --> 00:27:07,470
are very honest.

779
00:27:07,470 --> 00:27:09,510
We are very careful about all of that.

780
00:27:09,570 --> 00:27:11,210
But even when the way you talk to

781
00:27:11,210 --> 00:27:14,210
your children, instead of, oh, soon, mommy, we'll

782
00:27:14,210 --> 00:27:14,990
get to that soon.

783
00:27:14,990 --> 00:27:17,890
And you're still sitting half hour later scrolling

784
00:27:17,890 --> 00:27:21,650
Instagram or, oh yeah, we'll do that sometime.

785
00:27:21,730 --> 00:27:23,290
Your children do remember.

786
00:27:23,650 --> 00:27:26,570
If you promise them something, just be very

787
00:27:26,570 --> 00:27:29,570
careful and make sure that you have integrity

788
00:27:29,570 --> 00:27:30,270
with your children.

789
00:27:30,650 --> 00:27:31,550
They will bring it up.

790
00:27:31,650 --> 00:27:32,770
They will bring it up.

791
00:27:32,770 --> 00:27:35,250
So make sure if you say, oh yeah,

792
00:27:35,350 --> 00:27:36,770
we'll have, we'll go and have ice cream

793
00:27:36,770 --> 00:27:39,070
sometime this week, then take them to have

794
00:27:39,070 --> 00:27:40,330
ice cream sometime this week.

795
00:27:40,390 --> 00:27:43,050
And if things get busy or something happens

796
00:27:43,050 --> 00:27:44,950
and you absolutely can't, you can sit down

797
00:27:44,950 --> 00:27:46,830
and have that conversation of, you know what,

798
00:27:46,910 --> 00:27:48,310
we will do it sometime soon.

799
00:27:48,330 --> 00:27:50,830
I promise it's just, it can't happen this

800
00:27:50,830 --> 00:27:52,770
week, but make sure you have integrity with

801
00:27:52,770 --> 00:27:53,150
your children.

802
00:27:53,310 --> 00:27:55,130
Don't lie to your children about things.

803
00:27:55,250 --> 00:27:57,570
Don't manipulate them to get them to do

804
00:27:57,570 --> 00:27:58,030
things.

805
00:27:58,330 --> 00:27:59,690
Have integrity with them.

806
00:27:59,690 --> 00:28:03,070
Show them that righteousness and integrity and character

807
00:28:03,070 --> 00:28:03,690
matter.

808
00:28:03,910 --> 00:28:04,470
Absolutely.

809
00:28:04,750 --> 00:28:06,110
Well, I hope you're enjoying this study.

810
00:28:06,650 --> 00:28:09,770
Next week, this time I mean it, next

811
00:28:09,770 --> 00:28:12,130
week we're going to talk about our words.

812
00:28:12,390 --> 00:28:15,190
And we have found here in Proverbs so

813
00:28:15,190 --> 00:28:16,490
many other areas as well.

814
00:28:16,630 --> 00:28:18,910
We're going to have a lesson about our

815
00:28:18,910 --> 00:28:19,290
words.

816
00:28:19,410 --> 00:28:21,150
We're going to talk about the value of

817
00:28:21,150 --> 00:28:22,870
influence, anger.

818
00:28:23,110 --> 00:28:24,290
Here's a big one coming up.

819
00:28:24,430 --> 00:28:26,610
Alcohol is in the book of Proverbs.

820
00:28:27,090 --> 00:28:27,630
Counsel.

821
00:28:27,970 --> 00:28:29,430
How do we pursue counsel?

822
00:28:29,430 --> 00:28:30,670
And how important is counsel?

823
00:28:30,870 --> 00:28:32,270
We're going to talk about even in Proverbs

824
00:28:32,270 --> 00:28:35,270
31, biblical femininity and all of that sort

825
00:28:35,270 --> 00:28:35,670
of stuff.

826
00:28:35,770 --> 00:28:38,210
These are areas we have to emphasize and

827
00:28:38,210 --> 00:28:39,890
master if we're going to have a happy

828
00:28:39,890 --> 00:28:41,730
family and a happy life.

829
00:28:41,990 --> 00:28:42,150
Yes.

830
00:28:42,270 --> 00:28:43,570
And that's what Solomon is writing about.

831
00:28:43,850 --> 00:28:45,210
Thank you for joining us again today.

832
00:28:45,330 --> 00:28:46,230
Hope you're enjoying this study.

833
00:28:46,330 --> 00:28:47,850
If we can help you reach out to

834
00:28:47,850 --> 00:28:49,230
us and let us know.

835
00:28:49,470 --> 00:28:50,930
I hope you'll serve the Lord with gladness

836
00:28:50,930 --> 00:28:53,170
this week and thank you so much for

837
00:28:53,170 --> 00:28:54,790
just being part of the Keeping It Young

838
00:28:54,790 --> 00:28:55,330
family.

839
00:28:55,490 --> 00:28:56,610
Have a great day.

840
00:28:56,610 --> 00:29:00,070
The Keeping It Young podcast is a BACS

841
00:29:00,070 --> 00:29:01,270
5 media production.